Environmental Excellence Award

Community College of Rhode Island Recognized for Cutting Wastes

On May 9, 2001, the Community College of Rhode Island was chosen to receive a Narragansett
Bay Commission 2000 Environmental Merit Award for its efforts to remove hazardous
wastes from its sewage discharges and to properly dispose of other hazardous materials
generated at its campuses in Warwick, Providence, and Lincoln.

Under the leadership of chemical-safety coordinator Emanuel G. Terezakis, the college
trained faculty and laboratory personnel to collect excess silver from the school’s
darkrooms and dental programs so it doesn’t go down drains and interfere with the
sewage-treatment processes.

Heavy metal wastes, along with formaldehyde and organic solvents used in CCRI’s biology
and chemistry labs, are collected in hazardous-waste storage areas. Even grease from
kitchens is collected with special grease-recovery systems.